Recommended printers¶
We recommend two printers: we verified them first-hand, and every new label feature is built and tested on them first. The other models were cleared by feedback from the community.
The shop links on this page are affiliate links (marked with *). The product costs you exactly the same. If you buy through them, a small commission goes into the development of SpoolmanScale. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. En tant que Partenaire Amazon, je réalise un bénéfice sur les achats remplissant les conditions requises.
Which one suits you?¶
| Phomemo M220 | NIIMBOT M2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | cheaper | a bit more, plus ribbon |
| Method | direct thermal: heat colours the paper | thermal transfer: ink from a ribbon |
| Resolution | 203 dpi | 300 dpi |
| In the dryer | label turns black | label stays readable |
| Good for | boxes, shelves, spools not dried | spools for a dryer or the AMS HT |
Shop:
Phomemo M220¶
Cheap, no ribbon, labels of 40 x 30 and 50 x 30 mm.
Not for the dryer
In the AMS HT at 85 °C the label mostly turns black on the first drying, at lower temperatures bit by bit.
NIIMBOT M2¶
Stands the dryer, and at 300 dpi text and QR code come out finer. Labels of 50 x 30 mm.
Tested with NIIMBOT's original white 50 x 30 mm roll and the black ribbon. Third-party rolls we have not tried.
Other supported printers¶
| Printer | Labels | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Phomemo M110, M110S, M100 | 40 x 30 mm | confirmed by users |
| NIIMBOT B1, B21, B203 | 50 x 30 mm | confirmed by users |
| Phomemo M120, M200, M221 | 40 x 30 mm | experimental |
All of them print direct thermal at 203 dpi, so the dryer warning applies here too. Confirmed by users means someone from the community printed on it; we do not have the printer ourselves. Experimental means the same protocol, but no print yet. If you have one, we would love to hear from you.
What a printer needs¶
For the scale to drive a label printer, the printer needs three things:
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The scale's radio is an ESP32-S3, and it only speaks BLE.
- A protocol we know. Today that is the Phomemo and NIIMBOT families. Every other brand needs a driver of its own and someone to test it.
- Enough room on the label. A QR code plus a few details need about 18 mm of printable height. On tape printers that means tape at least 24 mm wide.
Why Brother printers don't work
"Bluetooth" is really two different radio standards: the older Classic Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy. Phones speak both, so you normally never notice. Brother's P-touch printers (such as the PT-P300BT, PT-P710BT and PT-E560BT) use Classic, while the scale's chip only has BLE. No update can change that, the radio hardware is missing.
How to tell: If the data sheet says SPP or iAP2, it is Classic Bluetooth. "Bluetooth 5.0" alone does not mean BLE, it is only the version of the specification. The free app nRF Connect tells you for sure: if the printer shows up there, it speaks BLE.
Label sizes¶
The most common sizes are tuned, 40 x 30 and 50 x 30 mm. Need another one? Tell us on GitHub or on Discord. What several people need, we add.